Various locations, Lithuania - Along the banks of the Nemunas River, flags appear to be a fundamental feature.

On one side, in the sleepy Lithuanian town of Panemune, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, and European Union flags flutter in the wind.

On the other, a Russian flag towers over the Russian city of Sovetsk. On a nearby building is an illuminated decorative Z, a symbol used to show support for the Russian military's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

A solitary fisherman carefully sails under the Queen Louise Bridge, which connects Lithuania with the Kaliningrad region, a sliver of Russian territory sandwiched between two NATO member states. A Lithuanian flag flaps at the rear of his boat.

Vehicles have been banned from crossing the checkpoint on the Lithuanian

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